INDIANAPOLIS -- A House committee voted to spend $60 million of interest earned on Major Moves money on local streets and roads.

But whether that's a great idea to help local communities recoup losses suffered in the last two years, or an unconscionable raid on public money that will hurt those communities depends on whom you ask.

Thursday's 7-5 vote of the House Roads and Transportation Committee to take $30 million of interest this year and next was split right down party lines.

And Republicans are making clear what they think of losing that vote.

"We're talking $60 million to go into who knows where in this state, from money that was allocated that these guys didn't even vote for," said state Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Lakeville. "They're taking money that is not theirs from a dedicated fund."

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The Major Moves Construction Fund, as passed by the General Assembly during the 2006 legislative session, and endorsed by Gov. Mitch Daniels, comes from interest made on a $500 million trust fund that cannot be touched for 10 years. The lease payment for the Indiana Toll Road goes into the Next Generation Trust Fund and the interest is taken, in five year intervals, from that trust fund to make up the construction fund.

The money in the construction fund was pledged to state road projects. Speaker of the House Pat Bauer, D-South Bend, said he thinks local road projects should benefit from some of the money, as well.

"Over the last two years, they really slam-bammed local communities," Bauer said. "But the thing people really don't know is that they took about $60 million away from them in the local road and street fund. We decided we are going to put that money back."

The amount taken from the road fund is actually only half that amount, according to David Dukes, a fiscal analyst for the Republican party.

Dukes said $15 million per year for two years was taken to pay for State Police.

"If there is an additional amount to make $30 million, I don't know what it is," he said.

Gov. Daniels said the bill doesn't look "prudent."

"I have always said the biggest concern about Major Moves is the cookie jar problem," Daniels said. "It's not a good idea to start taking funds that are now pledged to roads projects that have been promised to Hoosiers for a long time."

Daniels did acknowledge that the intention behind the Democrats' move is a good one, and that cities and towns are in need of money for local road projects.

But $150 million of the original Major Moves transaction was dedicated to local roads projects, he said.

"If we start taking money out, even for a good purpose, you're going to have to start canceling, once again, projects we have finally found a way to pay for," Daniels said. "I have said before, Major Moves doesn't fix every transportation problem for all time. I would like to get to a point where, out of the general fund, we are able to help localities with their road needs."

Walorski said the Indiana Toll Road belongs to the people in northern Indiana and they should benefit from the money being made off of its lease. She said she is concerned that projects like a high-speed U.S. 31 will suffer as a result of this bill."

Walorski questioned why both the speaker and fellow South Bend representative David Niezgodski would support the bill.

But Niezgodski said Walorski has it all backward, and House Bill 1830 would actually mean a better deal for Michiana, reversing some harm the area suffered under Major Moves.

"Despite what some are claiming, it does not take any funding away from St. Joe or Elkhart County," he said. "In fact, it can be argued that this provision replaces funding taken away from Indiana counties in the last state budget, one that was crafted by a single party rather than with bipartisan support."

The bill brings an additional $1.3 million to St. Joseph County and $909,000 more to Elkhart County, according to figures provided by the Legislative Services Agency.

Rep. Terry Austin, D-Anderson, the author of the bill, said her county was suffering from the loss of local street and road funding. This bill, she said, is a way to replace revenue that had been lost and to make up for increases in construction costs.

In 2002, the local highway, road and street fund was at $77 million. Now, four years later, the fund is down to $75 million and road construction costs have soared 12 to 14 percent each year.

The projects that Major Moves money are currently pledged to are all long-term projects. Neizgodski said local residents will be able to see the results of this money now instead of several years from now.

"I just wish that the people who supported (the lease of the Indiana Toll Road) had demonstrated the same concern for area residents back then that they show now," Neizgodski said.

Walorski said she worked hard to get the Major Moves legislation passed and it frustrates her to see the funds "being raided by a party that had nothing to do with originating them.

"I tried to attach an amendment to the Major Moves bill that basically said it would take a* * majority of that House to ever try to do this very thing, which is suck money out of that fund," she said.

When the Major Moves bill went to the State Senate, they ruled her amendment unconstitutional and deleted it.

"I'll tell you why I wanted that amendment, it was for this very reason. We knew that someday, sooner or later, somebody was going to try to steal money out of that fund."

House Bill 1830 will now move to the full House for additional amendments and debate.